José Daniel Ponce
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José Daniel Ponce is a former Argentine football (soccer) player, who was part of the Estudiantes de La Plata team that won two back-to-back championships in 1982 and 1983, took part in the process that led to Argentina's victory in the 1986 World Cup, and stayed in the football world after his retirement as a coach and business owner.
Ponce was born in Mendoza, Argentina and was promoted to the first team of Estudiantes by coach Carlos Bilardo, when he shared the midfield with Miguel Ángel Russo, Alejandro Sabella and Marcelo Trobbiani. The team won two back-to-back titles and Ponce was called by Bilardo (now national coach) to the national team. His trademark were his precision free kicks, and his skill with the ball, both dribbling and passing, was often decisive in fast-break attack.
After Estudiantes, Ponce played in Colombia, France and Chile. His Colombian wife died during labor; his two daughters are Chilean nationals. After a career as a coach in which his temper often got the best of him, Ponce currently coaches youth teams and has a successful sports-related business operation in Concepción, Chile.
